Romance sulfureuse: L'histoire vraie de Liz Taylor et Richard Burton

As a lifelong fan who saw these events play out as they happened, I waited with eager anticipation to see the romance of the century portrayed in film. I have seen some of Lyndsay Lohan's early movies but have only seen her drug and alcohol fueled antics splayed across the gossip rags in recent years. I wasn't sure what to expect with her cast as La Liz. What the hell were they thinking?! She was awful!! Worst casting and acting I've seen......ever! Whiney, skinny 20-something "actress" was totally miss-cast and out of her league. Dick was at least believable to some extent but the rest......kinda painful to watch. Wish they could do it over. DVR'd it because I was busy the night it aired......delete!

This movie is for those 13 and up. I had high hopes for this film, Liz and Dick. I was a bit disappointed. I don't think that Lindsay Lohan was a good Elizabeth Taylor, but for those who have never seen Elizabeth Taylor, it did work superficially. I do think that Grant Bowler did a better job playing Richard Burton than Lindsay did playing Liz. But it would be difficult to play two of Hollywood's royalty, let alone royalty couples. One cannot expect to see Liz Taylor and Richard Burton to play themselves. One would find great fault with anyone playing such icons of Hollywood splendor. I think enough attempt was made to get the 'essence' of personality on screen to warrant an evening of entertainment. Three thumbs up.

This movie dispels all the mystery and magic around this star-spun couple, here portrayed as rich drunks in a whirlwind of self-absorbed emotion. However, the diction of Grant Bowler is remarkably Burtonesque while Lindsay Lohan cannot rise above the California valley. Taylor spoke with distinction--slowly, somewhat deliberately, and with a stylishly youthful twist in her young to middle years. Lohan mumbles and sprints through her lines with her now nasal-bound voice. I mostly blame the director for missing this most important feature of the legendary Taylor. This movie is a hot mess that grows worse with every scene. It is surely destined for Saturday Night Live.

As has been noted, Bowler evokes Burton with his voice. He has studied him, has it down. Lohan does not sound like Taylor at all, does not bring anything that remotely captures the essence of the woman to this film pairing. She just careens through her lines as if a superficial physical resemblance was all that mattered. And her inability to evoke Elizabeth is a constant irritant. There is nothing in this performance that gives a clue as to why they were attracted to one another...or if they really were. I kept listening for a resemblance in the voice, in the bearing..it just was not there. I found myself thinking at one point that Michael Jackson could have done a better job, as he sure had studied the woman. Painful.

but I really can't When I saw the trailers, I thought it had promise. I saw scenes where it actually looked like Liz and Dick, but those were about the only resemblances I saw. The script was pretty thin and the acting was pretty pitiful. The script did cover their turbulent lives, but did not provide us with any information that we did not already know. Of course, if you are a bit younger than I am, you may have missed their trials and tribulation. If fact, you may not even know who they were and probably do not care. This movie will in no way inspire you to look further into their lives.

For me, the high point of the whole thing was when Burton died because I knew that the movie was about to be over. Skip this one.